


Painting hallways

by DarkSilverWings



Category: Gintama
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Brief mentions of other characters - Freeform, First Dates, Fluff, Gintoki is smitten, M/M, Student council Hijikata
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-06
Updated: 2017-07-06
Packaged: 2018-11-28 13:11:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11418666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkSilverWings/pseuds/DarkSilverWings
Summary: Tap on the sunset as you lose your way, your face distracts me so turn another way





	Painting hallways

**Author's Note:**

  * For [eliinthesky](https://archiveofourown.org/users/eliinthesky/gifts).



Their first date is far from conventional. Not in their location of course, though it's not cliche, they _are_ at a café and that's not too uncommon. It's unconventional in that neither of them know it's a _date_.

\---

Hijikata ties his ponytail off, straightening his blazer before he leaves the student council room; the screaming doesn't quieten in the least, nor does the pounding of footsteps from the floor above. The dark haired boy grits his teeth, taking the stairs two at a time and expecting the usual suspects; instead he gets a face-full of silver permed hair.

"Soichirou-kun! I was wondering whether you'd bail-," the other boy stops short, mouth agape and staring at Hijikata, who raises an eyebrow and crosses his arms. "-you're- who- _Jesus Christ_ do you even go to this school? I sure as hell haven't seen you before," the silver haired boy is waiting for an answer, so he gets one, "Clean up this mess before I assign you cleaning duty of the whole school."

A junior behind him, wide rimmed glasses and bright eyes straightens up immediately, "Y-yes sir!"  
"Sir? Oi, Pattsuan? You know h-"  
"Gin-san he's wearing the student council band."  
"Hah?! _Student council_?! _This_ guy?! Don't be ridiculous Pattsuan, he has to be in an athletics club or some idol club or someth-"  
"I'm literally right here, so unless you want to clean this whole fucking ground I'd shut the hell up and get to it."

The silver haired boy is definitely about to say something, but the bespectacled junior clams a hand over his mouth and nods vehemently. Hijikata sighs, wondering if he'll need to file this in or not. Kondo has always been one for disciplinary penalties.

It's a few hours before there's a knock on the student council's door; Yamazaki opens it as he flees to the bathroom and in walks the silver haired perm from earlier. "Ah- uh we finished cleaning up the hallwa- am I in the right room? You did ask us to do that right?"  
"If it was you guys who were making noise and spilling paint through the hallways, then just be glad I haven't reported any of your older antics."  
For a while there's a fidgety silence as Hijikata wonders why this guy has decided to tell him they're done cleaning, and then wonders why he's still standing there.

"...I'm...Sakata Gintoki. Just- you can call me Gin."

Hijikata hums, because he hadn't asked but he isn't averse to knowing.

  
"You've probably heard of me though, Gin-san is famous school wide you see? And all in just the few months of this year that I joined."

Hijikata hasn't heard of him, he thinks about it and doesn't recall a Sakata. Eitherway for politeness sake, he puts down his pencil, folds his hands and says, "Hijikata Toshirou, vice captain of the student council."

Sakata's jaw drops, his face going pale, "You're- _you're_ the _demon vice captain_?!"  
"If you've got any more wisecracks you'd better save it for the captain."  
The dumbass perm doesn't move, jaw hanging slack and frozen in position until Sougo comes back to witness the sight. Said boy makes a _'geh-'_ sound and tries to pretend like he'd never entered.

" _Sougo_ , I hear you've been all chummy with these train wrecks? So you've known all along they were doing this?" His voice is sickly sweet and immensely threatening all at once, irate grin on his alabaster face.

"Hijikata-san I wonder how you thought of such a ridiculous lie, haha, maybe you should just fall down the stairs."  
"You can jump off the roof Sougo, I heard it from your perm headed friend here. Sakata, was it?"  
"You could call me whatever the _fuck_ you want and I'd answer."  
"See? He mentioned you, so what is this, a case of corruption? What did they bribe you with?"  
"Ah ha Hijikata-san you misunderst- wait, Danna, what the hell?"

Sakata seems to snap out of it at that point, "Soichirou dammit you never told me the vice captain looked like _that_!"  
"I told you he was popular with girls, why does that matter?"  
"Because what the fuck is _wrong with you_ that you'd think _this-_ "

"Look Danna if this is about you forgetting to pay me you didn't need to rat-"

"Shut the fuck up or get out," Hijikata yells, palm slamming on the table and suddenly it's quiet and Sakata is looking at him with reproach.

 

"Vice-captain-san."  
"Hmm?"  
"...I hope it's not too late to become a rule abiding, responsible student and I hope that you would teach me the school rules over coffee."  
"Danna _what the fuck-_ "

"Sure, if you won't paint over any walls. Besides, I'm fairly sure you're in the same grade as me and failing, if you're face is anything to judge by, so maybe I can lecture you to raise your grades too."

  
" _Hah?!_ " Sougo looks like an absolute _moron_ and Gintoki wants to die _right here_ because Hijikata had not caught on to his deadpan being a clear cut attempt at flirting.

They don't go out for coffee though, Gintoki mostly gets yelled at for sleeping on the roof or napping in class and he knows it's because Hijikata has student council work because he tells him. He still wants to go out though, so he makes a fuss and a mess every day for the next two months until the vice captain is so utterly done that he grabs Gintoki by the collar near the lockers and raises a fist, presumably to punch the life out of him. And Gintoki chimes, "But vice-captain-san, you still haven't taught me the rules~"

Shinpachi passes by and chooses to entirely ignore the sight.

"Alright, fine, Sakata. Tomorrow after school," the dark haired boy forces through gritted teeth.

\---

And so they're in a café, book bags next to them and a sheet of rules between them, definitely _not_ on a date. "So you're not allowed to run in the hallways, paint anything, break anything, hit anyone or talk back to the teachers," Hijikata points out the rules individually. "Also, dyed hair and perms are technically not allowed but most delinquents do it anyway so I don't think that's a very important rule."  
"It's not _dyed_! I'll have you know this is Gin-san's natural hair colour! And I'm a natural perm!"

Hijikata chuckles into the back of his hand, and Gintoki stops functioning properly, "Bullshit, Sakata."  
"Gintoki."  
"What?"  
"Gintoki is fine."  
"How about natural-perm bastard?"  
Gintoki laughs, waving him off, "I told you, whatever you want, princess."  
Hijikata shrugs it off as just the other's character, and orders another coffee, heavy on the whipped cream and low on the milk. Gintoki has never been more frustrated in his life. He's being anything but subtle. Why the fuck is this not a date?  
This is absolutely a date.  
Ugh, but it's _not_.

After they're done at the cafe, having gone through 48 rules, probably half of which aren't school regulation, they go to an arcade at Gintoki's insistence, and compete over half the games. They come out still yelling about which monster hunter game was better, falling silent at the obnoxiously loud horn of a car that passes by and then agreeing that Dragon Quest 3 was brilliant and Monster Hunt 2 was rubbish.

Hijikata glances at his watch, then looks up, "Well it's late enough. Hopefully you learned something halfway decent today."  
"I learned you're dense as fuck."  
"What?"  
"I mean- your opinions don't all suck."  
To which he receives a shake of the head.  
It's silent again.  
Silent like the plague to Gintoki who has to ask if the other would like to come over to his house to study, because he actually needs some help and knows Hijikata is in fact pretty smart. Studious too.

He tries to ask, but Hijikata rolls his eyes and asks him to get a tutor, which is obviously not even the remote point. So instead he stops Hijikata by saying, "There's this one thing you need to see," even as his mind is tearing up thinking of said thing. The other's eyebrow raises though, and he adjusts the collar of the dark shirt he's wearing and gestures for Gintoki to lead the way. It's unfair really, with the dark haired boy in dark skinny jeans and high top converse, it's completely unfair to not be admiring him as they walk. It's for his own consolation when he grasps the other's pale wrist instead, feeling the shift in his skin at the slight bump of his vein when he flexes his wrist.

Gintoki still has no idea where he's going, but he picks the more rural looking road at every signpost and ends up near a shrine, so of course he ignores the stairs and leads Hijikata into the woods.  
"Sa- uh, Gintoki, what the fuck are we doing?"  
"Just- follow me."  
"I have been, for half an hour and my arm is numb."  
Gintoki almost lets go, but Hijikata instead slides a hand down to clasp at his, which is definitely the death of him today because if this is not a date _now_ he's going to paint the _entire hallway_ yellow and blame Sougo.

"You have absolutely no idea where we're going."  
"Don't be stupid, Gin-san always knows where he's-!"  
They walk out of a clump of bushes and are on the main road again; a car whizzes near his face and Hijikata raises an eyebrow. "Okay so I don't know."  
Gintoki just isn't sure how to ask him to stay just a few seconds longer, as much as he isn't sure how to ask for a picture of his features illuminated by the sunset.

Hijikata's raised eyebrow drops, but with it emerges a sigh that's all mirth, a light raise in his cheekbones the tell that keeps Gintoki watching, watching for his subtle shifts in expression that speak volumes on their own. He doesn't very much mean to, but he reaches up to push the dark, long bangs behind his ear and stops himself there, bringing his hand town. Hijikata's cheeks colour a rose hue that's ten times more unfair than the outfit he's wearing, and Gintoki really has to bite his lip not to say anything weird.

He does anyway, only because that's who he is, "Tell me this was a date."  
"A- _what_?"  
"If this was not a date I don't even know what a date is and tomorrow I'm killing Sougo."  
Hijikata's close enough now to tip his forehead against Gintoki's shoulder blade and the laugh he lets out is like music, tinkling softly. "You're welcome to kill him anyway," is the answer he finally gets and okay, but that's absolutely not the answer to his question.  
"Vice-captain-san-"  
"Hijikata is fine, perm head."  
His grin stretches across his cheeks and he knows it because Hijikata adds, "...with the -san though."

Gintoki laughs openly, squeezing the hand he's still holding. They don't really move, because the sun is setting and from here, through the trees, it looks amazing. Yellow turns to orange, to red, blue and violet streaks, hazy pink clouds and a honking off in the distance before Hijikata speaks again, "Did you want it to be?"  
"What?"  
"A...date. Did you-"  
"Absolutely. 100%. I had no idea it was until it just _was_ and then it _had to be_ because, _dude_ , _Hijikata_ , have you seen yourself?"

He's aware that he's rambling and apparently Hijikata is aware of that because he says, carefully, "This could be a date, but tha's a ridiculously superficial reason, and one tha's hardly true."  
"Okay well I could grow to like you? I don't know, whatever, go out with me? We'll figure it out."  
"That's so half assed," but he's definitely laughing, and Gintoki shakes his head, turning serious in his tone, "I mean to say, I'd like to get to know you. We could go out some more and hang out and become friends before we call it dating."

"I can agree to that," he gets a nudge on the shoulder before they start walking down what he realises isn't far from the arcade at all.  
"But that _was_ a date right."  
He only gets a muffled, amused scoff.

It takes a while, they're third years before it but they share their first kiss by that roadside where the sunset lights up your eyes.

And Gintoki doesn't paint on walls anymore.

He still sleeps on the roof though.

**Author's Note:**

> This was a birthday gift for eliinthesky so happy birthday friend! Hope you liked it :)  
> Thank you for reading, comments and kudos are always appreciated!  
> (Ao3's phone interface is so shitty sorry for errors)


End file.
